He was swept away to another world where he met his soul mate. But how will he survive if he has to return home without him?

Mike Carlson becomes a pawn in the war between gods. He is sent to another world to complete a pilgrimage to help save a village of people from a fate worse than death. Goran offers to be his bodyguard and tour guide. As they slowly become both friends and lovers, they must eventually deal with Mike’s departure from Goran’s world.

Mike Carlson was an extremely self-centered individual. Although he wasn’t a bad guy, he really never went out of his way to help anybody else. Goran was just the opposite and made a point to always return the favors of the villagers that helped them. If somebody fed Goran a meal, he caught them enough meat to feed them for a week. As Goran slowly shares the details of his life, it’s even easier to adore him.

Unfortunately, Mike and Goran don’t spend much time talking to each other until halfway through the story. The beginning is focused on Mike’s thoughts, which weren’t very interesting, in part because he was such an unemotional person. Once these two started to really connect and share with each other, the story became much more intriguing. I was definitely hoping that they would find some way to be together and find happiness.

An enjoyable story for those who enjoy rich, historical details and authentic worldbuilding.

Originally reviewed for The Romance Reviews. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.

BLURB

Fiscal analyst Mike Carlson is good with spreadsheets and baseball stats. He doesn’t believe in fate, true love, or fantasy. But then a fertility goddess whisks him away to another world. A promise has been broken, and if Mike is ever to return to California—and his comfortable if lonely life—he must complete a pilgrimage to the shrines of a death goddess.

A humiliating event convinces Mike to hire a guard to accompany him, and hunky Goran is handy enough with a sword, if a little too liberal with his ale. A man with no home and no family, Goran is deeper than he first appears. As Mike learns more about Goran, his disbelief wavers and his goals become less clear. Contending with feuding gods, the challenges of the journey, and his growing attraction to Goran, Mike faces a puzzle far harder to solve than simple rows of numbers.